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Downtown West Mixed-Used Plan

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On May 25, 2021, the City Council unanimously approved the Downtown West Mixed-Use Plan (Downtown West). The approval followed three-plus years of community engagement led by both the City and Google, and built upon a decade of planning for the Diridon Station Area.  

In 2022, the City Council established a commission to guide the Community Stabilization and Opportunity Pathways Fund, which is a community benefit of Google’s Downtown West project based on Exhibit H in the Development Agreement. See www.sanjoseca.gov/FundCommission for more information.

project description 

Downtown West makes up approximately 80 acres of the 250-acre Diridon Station Area Plan (DSAP). The approved project, proposed by Google, allows the construction of:

  • Up to 7.3 million gross square feet (GSF) of office space;
  • 4,000 units of new housing (Final EIR allows up to 5,900);
  • Up to 500,000 GSF of active uses (retail, cultural, arts, etc.);
  • 100,000 GSF of event space, hotel use (up to 300 rooms), and limited-term corporate accommodations (up to 800);
  • 15 acres of parks and open space; and
  • Infrastructure and utilities.

In approving the project, the City Council reviewed and approved several key documents, including a Development Agreement that included community benefits; Downtown West Design Standards and Guidelines; amendments to the City's General Plan and Diridon Station Area Plan; an environmental impact report; and other documents as listed in the Key Documents section below. 

Development Phases. The project will be built in phases, and each phase will consist of buildings, open space, and infrastructure. Each phase will entail:

  1. Conformance review of buildings, open space, and infrastructure design
  2. Permitting
  3. Construction

Construction of the first buildings could begin as early as 2023. Community members can stay informed of the development phases through this webpage as well as sign up to receive updates.

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CONFORMANCE REVIEW PROCESS

In approving Downtown West, the City established a Conformance Review Process as a step between project approval and permitting for construction. The purpose is to ensure future designs are consistent with the project documents approved by City Council. Upon receiving a Conformance Review application, staff will review the designs and information for consistency using checklists. The application is subject to approval by the applicable Director.

The specific process will depend on the application type:

  • Horizontal Improvements (utilities, streets, and other belowground or surface level infrastructure)
  • Vertical Improvements (buildings)
  • Open Space (public parks, trails, and privately-owned/publicly accessible spaces)

Refer to the approved General Development Plan and the Implementation Guide for details on the Conformance Review process.

DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT ANNUAL COMPLIANCE REVIEW

The City will publish and present an annual report on the developer’s compliance with the Downtown West Development Agreement at future Planning Commission meetings. Compliance reports and related meeting information will post here.

KEY FINAL APPROVAL DOCUMENTS

MORE INFORMATION

CONTACT

City Planning Project Managers
Jonathan Fox, Planner: jonathan.fox@sanjoseca.gov or 408-535-7702
John Tu, Supervising Planner:  john.tu@sanjoseca.gov or 408-535-6818

Environmental Review Staff
Shannon Hill, Planner:  shannon.hill@sanjoseca.gov or 408-535-7872
David Keyon, Principal Planner:  david.keyon@sanjoseca.gov or 408-535-7898

Community Engagement / Development Agreement
Lori Severino, Diridon Program Manager, City Manager's Office:
lori.severino@sanjoseca.gov or 408-535-3537

Media Inquiries
Cheryl Wessling, Public Information Manager, Dept. of Planning, Building and Code Enforcement:
cheryl.wessling@sanjoseca.gov or 408-966-4475.

language translation

For this webpage, alternate languages may be selected through the Google Translate option located at the top of the page. If you have additional questions regarding this project and need a translator: